THE JOURNEY OF A BOOK: How many times can I say, "this time I will finish it"?
This time it will be my last. Otherwise, what am I doing here?
Last week, after avoiding my book proposal for so long, I dug it out and settled down to restart the editing of it.
The proposal is an inch thick and has 143 pages of double-line-spaced paragraphs in Garamond 12 points. It has a page of contents which includes why I should be the one writing the book, why it needs to be written now, and who the intended audience is. I’ve written a market overview, researched competitors and made a plan of PR and marketing ideas.
These sections have been tricky and daunting to get my head around but the bit that has caused me the most overwhelm is the chapter summaries and the three actual chapters I’m sending as a writing sample.
Because this is the bit I want to get right. I want to ensure it sounds like me for a start (when it comes to books I often lose my writing voice), but I also want to make sure it makes sense structurally, that it flows and that I really spell out how it will help the reader.
Of course, me being me, I tell myself that that’s an impossible goal, that I don’t have the ability to do that and who do I think I am thinking I can do it.
This Day in the Life video shares some of the angst I’ve been going through and how I’m addressing it. (Spoiler: it involves post-its).
Why am I behaving like this? I could’ve had three or four books published right now. Just why am I procrastinating so hard on this project?
Funnily enough, as you’ll see if you watch the video, my answer actually lies in the book I’m writing. Ironic, I know. But it answers the question of why I’m the right person to be writing this book - because I’ve been there and lived through it. And hopefully, I’ll one day have a published book to prove it can be done.